Dutch court rules in Nigerian farmers' suit against Shell

A Dutch court will decide on Wednesday
whether Shell should clean up oil
damage that destroyed a group of
Nigerian farmers' land, a case that could
set a precedent for global environmental
responsibility.

Dutch judge Henk Wien will hand down a
verdict at around 10:00 am (0900 GMT)
at a public hearing before The Hague
district court in a case that was first filed
in 2008.

Thousands of miles (kilometres) from
their homes in the Niger delta, four
Nigerian farmers and fishermen have
dragged the Anglo-Dutch oil giant into
court in a civil suit that could open the
door for hundreds of similar cases. The
plaintiffs are backed by environmental
lobby group Friends of the Earth.

The farmers want Royal Dutch Shell to
clean up the mess, repair and maintain
defective pipelines to prevent further
damage, and pay out compensation.

Shell, the biggest producer in the west
African nation where it has been drilling
for the last half-a-century, denied
responsibility.

The company pinned oil spills between
2004 and 2007 on illegal theft and
sabotage.

Environmentalists want the Netherlands, and other Western nations, to
pass laws forcing companies to enforce the same environmental
responsibility standards
abroad as at home.